Looking east on Shuter St from in front of Massey Hall towards Victoria St in downtown Toronto.
Massey Hall, a historic music venue in Toronto, opened its doors in 1894. It was a gift from industrialist Hart Massey to the people of Toronto to promote the arts. The archive photo features the venue’s iconic hanging neon sign glowing red and shows part of the iron moustache-style stairs that were installed in 1911 as a fire safety measure.
In July 2018, Massey Hall closed for extensive renovations. This included taking down and refurbishing the neon sign as well as removing the exterior stairs. On November 5, 2021, the restored sign was reinstalled above Massey Hall’s red doors. It was illuminated again on November 24, 2021, in anticipation of the venue’s reopening on November 25, 2021, which featured three nights of sold-out performances by Gordon Lightfoot .
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall: Historical Timeline & Revitalization Update
- CBC: Massey Hall reopens…
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
